Switch heater for railroads



' 14, 1933. w P SCHQLZ 1,897,218

SWITCH HEATER FOR RAILROADS Filed July 17, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet l Feb. 14, 1933. w p sc 0 2 1,897,218

SWITCH HEATER FOR RAILROADS Filed July 17, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 WW in nu. w HHHHHIIHIIIHI HIHIIIHHHH @ZJ M ATT RNEY Patented Feb. 14, 1933 UNITED STATES WILLIAM I. SCHOLZ, OF MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY SWITCH HEATER FOR BAILROADS Application filed July 17, 1930. Serial No. 468,546.

The device, the subject of this invention, is intended as a means for heating rail switches, and if the device does not actually heat the rail and switch, it does at least provide sufficient heat to prevent the formation of ice or sleet, or the collection of snow between the switch tongue and the rail, and thus assures that the switch may be readily operated, and without delay or difficulty even in the most severe winter weather.

The object of this particular invention is to provide a heater of novel construction and shape, and one that may be readily inserted, and will operate efficiently under all conditions, and yet one that where and if repairs are necessary, may be very readily repaired.

It is of course understood that this device must be impervious to water, and a special object of the invention, then, is to provide a peculiar gasketing means for the introduc tion of the electric-cable.

In the drawings, and in the description, I will refer to a shield or container for this heater, but this shield or container is made the subject of a separate application, Serial No. 468,547 filed by me on even date herewith.

The use of the shield suggests that this device be inserted into a tie, but I am fully aware that the device may be employed in a position away from a tie; that 1s, directly supported upon the rail itself, and under the switch plate.

This construction requires that a particular operating means be provided, and such an operating means is here shown and described.

The following is what I consider the best means of carrying out this invention, and the accompanying drawings should be referred to for a complete understanding of the specification which follows.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is a top plan view of my device installed and ready for operation, but with the switch plate removed.

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the device.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view partly in section, the cover being removed to expose the interior structure.

Fig. 4 shows a side elevation of my device supported by a rail.

Fig. 5 is an end view thereof, and

Fig. 6, an enlarged sectional view of a part removed. 55

Similar reference numerals indicate like parts in all the figures where they appear.

At 1, I show a rail tie, which may be an ordinary wooden tie, if such are used, and as h wooden ties are in practice, we will consider the tie 1 as being of wood.

This tie is provided with a recess 2, in which is arranged a trough shaped member 3, for the reception of my heater and spacers 4 and 5, of which a number are employed, to assure that the trough member or container 8 will be separated from the tie 1, and the heater will in turn, be separated from the trough member. Thus, by providing a clear air space between the heater and the container, and the container and the tie, char-ring of the tie because of the heat generated in the heater, will be negligible, or will probably not occur.

My heater consists of a body member 6, which is a cast metal box, having outstanding lugs 7 and 8, arranged at one end thereof. The heater is provided with a cover plate 9, secured to the box member by screws, such as are shown at 10 and 11.

On the exterior of the box member, I provide a ground connection 12, which shall be referred to later, and as shown in Fig. 2, the cover member 9 is separated from the box member by suitable water-proof packing'13.

Lead wires from a source of current supply enter through the lugs 7 and 8, and are indicated at 1& and 15. These lead wire-s continue to binding screws 14 and 15, within the casing and connected to these binding screws, are heater coils, and I employ four heater coils, as shown at 17, 18, 19 and 20.

It is desire that because of the signalling circuit that passes at least in part through the rails and rail bonds, that my heater should be non-inductive, and therefore I arrange the coils parallel, each of the same number of turns, and both wire connections atone end of the heater coils.

The heater coils 17 to 20 inclusive, are arranged within slots provided by placing in the box member, barriers, and these barriers may be loose, if desired. The box is lined by insulating strips of refractory material, or other suitable insulating material, as suggested at 21 and 22, and spacers or barriers previously referred to, are shown at 23, 24

and 25.

one of which is shown at 27, for the purpose of retaining the ends of the coils and a short-' er barrier member 28 having overlapping lips 29, is shown at the other end, as this member 28only suports the ends of two of the coils.

The binding posts 15 and 16 are retained within the compartment also lined with insulating material, as shown at 30. and 31, the

insulating material being arranged at all sides of the binding post compartment.

. I have previously mentioned that'it was my desire to provide eflicient means for preventing water entering .with the lead wires andinto my casing, and in Fig. 3, I have shown the construction not only of the lug 8, which is common to both lugs, but also the interior thereof.

Within the interior of the lug 8, I arrange i a plug member 32 of suitable insulating material- Upon this member, Iplace a fabric ring 33, and thereon I place a soft rubber gasket ring 34, a second compression ring 35 and a hollow nut 36, for supporting all of these members a This hollow nut 36 serves as a thimble. For the reception of a hollow stud or insulating bushing 37, which is placedaround the wire, and when the wire has been introduced and secured to the binding post, the member 36 is screwed firmly inwardly, expanding the soft rubber m'ember 34, causing it to fill up, all the spaces within the lug, and to close as my device is supported on the wooden tie,

grounding of the device might have serious consequences, particularly if upon grounding, the device became out of order and required .repairs. 1

Thus far, I have described the construction of the heater, and the means of supporting itin a recess" in a tie. v

In Fig.5, the heater is shown directly connectedto a rail. The rail being shown at The movable barrier member 26 arranged I at one end of the coil has overlappinglips,

heater is provided with a hinged lug 48,

adapted to receive a block 49, which is screw threaded to a rod 50.

.The rod is a piston rod, having arranged thereon, a piston 51 arranged in a cylinder 52, having an adjusting cap 53. The spring 54 in the cylinder 52 urges piston 51 forward.

The free end of the piston 52 isprovided with a hinged block v55, supported on a pin' 56, which is in-turn, supported by a bracket 57 the bracket jbeingsecured by screws 58, to thetie 41. p ,q p or v It will be noted then, that the spring urges the heaterinward toward the rail, and that the depression or separating of the rails, due to the passage of a train, will be amply compensate'd for by the spring 54,'which upon the passage of-the train, will urge the heater backward to its proper position. I I may of course provide suitable covers, guards, or shields for the operating parts of my device, and for the cables entering there- It will of course be understood that the size of my device and all of the parts thereof may be changed at will.

A greater number Ofheating coils maybe employed in a heating unit,'or I may employ a plurality of units adjacent to each switch plate, and this is probably what will occur,

as it is rather desirable that the units be not made sufliciently largeto bediflicult to handle, and if made too large, much heat might be inefiectively dissipated. I

It will of course be understood that I'have omitted the tie plate, as such plates are well known in the art.

Having carefully and fully described my invention, what I-claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is I p 1. A rail heater comprising a casing having a cover therefor, cylindrical lugs formed integral with said casing, electrical conductors passing through said lugs, compression means within said lugs for engaging said conductors, heater coils within said casingand binding posts for connecting said conductors to said coils, and a plurality of normally loose barriers for separating said heater coils, for retaining said coils and for separating said binding posts from said coils, an insulating and waterproof means betweenv said coverand said casing and a ground clamp upon said vcasing, all combined for oint operation.

2. A switch heater comprising a heater member, having a body member, a plurality of hooked members secured thereto but insulated therefrom, a cylinder and piston in hinged relation With said heater, and having means therein for urging said heater toward the rail.

WILLIAM P. SCHOLZ. 

